Necss iii

[The Central Scrutinizer]

FYI - We will be offering discounts to Play Dead for NECSS attendees. To be announced shortly.

Cool! I may try to go Thur night. I'm planning on going to MNM on Monday night, of course.

 

[Wowbagger]

FYI - We will be offering discounts to Play Dead for NECSS attendees. To be announced shortly.

Most awesome.

 

[dang]

That's great! I think. Is it entertainment or terror? Or a fiendish mixture of both?

 

[John Jones]

Originally Posted by The Central Scrutinizer
If someone at the conference promises to discuss computer software for a few minutes, I can justify this as a business expense.

It never happened.

 

[The Central Scrutinizer]

That's great! I think. Is it entertainment or terror? Or a fiendish mixture of both?

It's a topless revue.

 

[John Jones]

This

 

[Reager]

Just a reminder that NECSS is in 3 weeks! There is still some room at the Speaker's Cocktail Reception....

 

[The Central Scrutinizer]

Just a reminder that NECSS is in 3 weeks! There is still some room at the Speaker's Cocktail Reception....

Not as much as you think. I'm pretty big.

 

[The Central Scrutinizer]

Change of venue for Friday night's Skeptics in the Pub at NECSS III.

http://www.necsscon.org/news/2011/4/4/drinking-skeptically-venue-change.html

Same place as last year.

 

[The Central Scrutinizer]

Leaving for NYC tomorrow am!

Should be another great time.

 

[Wowbagger]

Leaving for NYC tomorrow am!

I shall alert the authorities.

 

[Wowbagger]

Good first day!

I was the official #NECSS Twitter operator, for some reason.

(Sent from my Droid Incredible, using Tapatalk. Therefore, more typos may exist in this post than usual.)

 

[Wowbagger]

Very good second day, too!

Those who missed it all should be fuming with jealousy!!

 

[John Jones]

The Central Scrutiizer sucks arse and nothing he says is worth discussion.

How about that?

 

[SkepticScott]

Opinion of NECSS

Good first day!

Very good second day, too!

NECSS was good. Unfortunately there were major problems.

* There were two live podcasts, where previous years only had one. IMO, the correct number of podcasts during a conference is zero.

* They neglected to schedule a lunch on Sunday.

* When I want live music, I go to a concert. The singer, while talented, did not belong at NECSS. It would have been fine as an after-hours event.

* As usual, the location stunk. Traffic, poor public transit, and the only parking around was valet parking (where you have to agree to hold them blameless even if they total your car).

If the organizers did not have the podcasts and concerts, NECSS could have been a one-day event. People traveling to NECSS wouldn't have had to get hotel rooms, which would have let more students attend -- something they desired. Instead they added junk and fewer students were able to attend.

In previous years my rating of NECSS was slightly positive -- the good outweighed the bad. This year the balance tipped the other way. I won't consider registering next year until I see the schedule and venue, and there will have to be a great improvement before I consider going again.

 

[Wowbagger]

NECSS was good. Unfortunately there were major problems.

If I had to call out a problem during NECSS, I would cite the occasional microphone issues on the first day.

* There were two live podcasts, where previous years only had one. IMO, the correct number of podcasts during a conference is zero.

I disagree. A podcast is like a panel, but perhaps less formal, and (usually) more fun. All the different types of sessions can bring out ideas in different ways: Lecture & Q&A, Panels, Podcasts, Performance Pieces, Debates, etc.

A good conference knows how to mix it up.

* They neglected to schedule a lunch on Sunday.

I suppose I agree that 20 mins was probably too short for lunch, for most people.

* When I want live music, I go to a concert. The singer, while talented, did not belong at NECSS. It would have been fine as an after-hours event.

I disagree. I think it's a good idea to sprinkle some entertainment into conferences. Lecture after lecture gets monotonous after a while.

If I was directing her, I would have her sing one more song, and not spend as much time pushing her show.

* As usual, the location stunk. Traffic, poor public transit, and the only parking around was valet parking (where you have to agree to hold them blameless even if they total your car).

The venue was good, at least. I did not notice any transportation issues, probably because I walked almost everywhere.

If the organizers did not have the podcasts and concerts, NECSS could have been a one-day event. People traveling to NECSS wouldn't have had to get hotel rooms, which would have let more students attend -- something they desired. Instead they added junk and fewer students were able to attend.

I disagree that they added "junk" I got something out of everything. But, I suppose this is something they could take into consideration. Perhaps the second day could have had more actual conference content.

 

[SkepticScott]

I disagree. A podcast is like a panel, but perhaps less formal, and (usually) more fun.

I disagree. In my opinion, a podcast, like talk radio, is boring and a live podcast is a waste of time.

A good conference knows how to mix it up.

Yes, but within limits. We don't have sessions on carpentry or modern Polish poetry, for instance, because those would be out of the "limits". We set the limits at different points, that's all.

I disagree. I think it's a good idea to sprinkle some entertainment into conferences. Lecture after lecture gets monotonous after a while.

No they don't! I like continuous talks, panels and lectures, with the entertainment after-hours.

The venue was good, at least. I did not notice any transportation issues, probably because I walked almost everywhere.

You live within walking distance of the site? As usual, traffic was bad in Manhattan. Like all public transit with schedules that I've seen, the train out of Manhattan was late in leaving and even later in arriving. They should either adhere to the schedule or change the schedule to match what they do. They shouldn't lie to their customers.

I'll agree that walking once you're inside Manhattan is good. I walked from the AMNH to Grand Central in under 40 minutes. However, a conference should be situated so as to be easily accessible to all the attendees, locals and out-of-towner.

 

[Wowbagger]

and a live podcast is a waste of time.

Not if they embrace the opportunity to interact with the crowd, which I suppose both of them could have done more of.

Yes, but within limits. We don't have sessions on carpentry or modern Polish poetry, for instance,

We could, in theory, have sessions about "Debunking Myths of Carpentry" or "The Science of Polish Poetry". Though, I suppose that would be more likely at SkeptiCamp, than a real conference.

The opera wasn't just classical opera. It was a demonstration of how one could set science-related texts to opera. Therefore, it was relevant. (though, I suppose the Twinkie ingredients pushes that a little.)

You live within walking distance of the site?

No. I had a hotel room within walking distance of the site. I took a train in from Westchester County. Wasn't much of a big deal.

 

[Kochanski]

Scott, the transportation and the location in Manhattan is as good as it gets in Manhattan. The area we were in is a very good area away from the tourist areas with a lot of good reasonably priced food options and close to several subway lines and several lovely parks.

The venue and space were very good.

Parking in Manhattan is what it is, you either deal with the parking or you don't drive into the city (the option most of us who live nearby almost always take). It is a very small island and there is nothing to be done to change the parking situation.

Trains are trains, I doubt that the regularity of trains is better anywhere else, it is Amtrak.

It is unlikely that NECSS will be moved out of Manhattan, so you have to accept what it means to be at a conference in Manhattan or just choose not to attend.

And if you think the transport situation is bad in Manhattan, you really, really, really don't want to know what it means to travel on public transportation on Long Island, where the bus system does not connect with the trains in any meaningful way.

 

[SkepticScott]

The "venue" I'm talking about it Manhattan not any specific building. Knowing that there are these transportation and parking problems yet continuing to have it in Manhattan smacks of cognitive dissonance to me.

The area we were in is a very good area away from the tourist areas with a lot of good reasonably priced food options and close to several subway lines and several lovely parks.

You left out the two most important criteria, as far I'm concerned: free self-parking and easy access from major highways. Food is food; I'm not picky and I'll brown-bag it if necessary. I'm there for a conference, not to see a park. I'll walk through a state park or town forest here at home. Tourists don't bother me, I walked through a multitude around Central Park.

Kochanski, I know all public transit has problems with schedules. Why do we ignore it? It would be so simple to publish the schedule you actually keep, rather than the one you never keep. Having to walk a mile or two to get from a train station to a bus stop isn't an issue. Not meeting your own schedule is as bad as not stopping where you say you will -- that's the issue.

I've already decided that I won't be at NECSS 4 unless there's a compelling lineup of events and/or it relocates. In my opinion, the positives are overwhelmed by the negatives.